Olivia Nibblesqueak’s Messy Mischief

Chapter Six Olivia’s Favorites

When the three friends got back to the bakery, the Nibblesqueaks came scurrying outside to meet them.

“Have you seen Olivia?” asked Jenny Nibblesqueak.

Lily nodded. “Don’t worry, she seems fine. And we know how to help her!” She explained about the spell.

When she’d finished, Jess asked, “So what are Olivia’s favorite things?”

Mr. Nibblesqueak said, “Her favorite hobby is easy. It’s drawing!” He turned to Penny Nibblesqueak. “Could you fetch Olivia’s art things?”

The young hamster scampered indoors and returned moments later with a sketchbook. She gave it to Jess, who flicked through it. It was just like the notebook she always kept in her pocket and was filled with colorful pictures.

“And what’s Olivia’s favorite food?” Lily asked next.

“Pink cherries!” chorused the entire family.

“She loves decorating cakes with them,” said Mrs. Nibblesqueak, “but we don’t have any at the moment.”

“We’ll find some,” said Goldie. “Now, we need to discover Olivia’s biggest secret. But as it’s a secret, I guess you probably don’t know what it is.”

The hamsters shook their fluffy heads.

“Never mind,” said Goldie. “We’ll find out somehow. We know her favorite hobby and we have her sketchbook, so let’s get some pink cherries.”

“Off to the Treasure Tree!” said Jess, smiling at the thought of the huge tree that grew enough delicious fruit and nuts to feed everybody in the forest.

But Goldie shook her head. “Cherries don’t grow on the Treasure Tree,” she explained. “They grow in Cherry Tree Corner.”

They said good-bye to the Nibblesqueaks, and Goldie led the girls through the forest to a huge sunny clearing filled with neat rows of cherry trees. Some were covered with clouds of pale pink blossoms, filling the air with their sweet scent. Others were drooping with bunches of fat, ripe cherries.

“It’s so pretty,” said Lily, breathing in the blossoms’ scent.

“But there aren’t any pink cherries!” Jess cried. “They’re all red.”

“All of these cherries are magic,” Goldie explained, “so maybe they’re called ‘pink cherries’ because of what happens when you eat them.” She looked around, puzzled. “Each tree usually has a label made of bark stuck into the ground beside it—but they’re all gone.”

Just then, there was a loud squeak from the far side of the orchard.

“Look!” cried Lily. “The creatures from the Witchy Waste!”

“And that’s where the labels went,” said Jess with a groan.

Beside Peep and the others was a pile of labels. Snippit the crow ripped one up with his beak and threw the pieces at Hopper the toad and Masha the rat, who shrieked with delight. Olivia giggled and flapped her paws around, squeaking like a naughty bat.

Hopper spotted the girls and Goldie. “There they are!” she croaked. The four Witchy Waste creatures and Olivia each grabbed some cherries and flung them at Goldie and the girls.

“Hey!” yelled Jess, as a cherry bounced off her head.

“Oh, no!” Lily cried, as a cherry splatted on her cheek.

“Hee!” laughed the rat. “You’re messy!”

Jess ducked as more fruit flew past, then whispered to the others, “Keep them busy while I ask Olivia about pink cherries.”

Lily grabbed a big handful of cherries and tossed them at the Witchy Waste creatures. “Catch!” she yelled.

As they yelled happily, throwing more cherries back, Jess ducked down and ran to the trees at the edge of the clearing.

“Olivia!” Jess called. “Which tree do pink cherries grow on?”

“Don’t know,” Olivia giggled. “Bats don’t like cherries.”

Jess groaned. She really thinks she’s a bat, she thought.

She dodged the fruit and ran back to the others. They’d hidden behind a tree trunk, leaving the Witchy Waste creatures happily cherry-fighting among themselves. Splattered cherries lay everywhere.

“Now what?” Lily asked.

“I’ll eat some,” Jess said, “and see if we can tell which are pink ones.”

She popped a cherry in her mouth. “Delicious!” she said. “And guess what? These cherries don’t have stones. That’s—” She stopped.

Goldie and Lily were almost helpless with laughter.

“What’s funny?” Jess demanded.

“Your nose,” Lily gasped. “It’s covered with blue spots!”

“That must be the blue-spot cherry tree,” Goldie said, giggling. “At least we know it’s not those ones. Let’s try another.”

Lily popped a cherry in her mouth. Soon it was Jess’s turn to laugh as Lily’s cherry turned her cheeks bright green!

The first one Goldie tried made her whiskers curl, and Jess’s next one gave her pointy ears!

When Lily ate a particularly large cherry, she noticed Jess and Goldie grinning.

“What?” she asked.

“You’ve found Olivia’s favorite food,” said Jess with a laugh, “and now we know what it does. Lily, your hair has turned pink!”